Senior Project Manager- Infrastructure/Construction

Job summary

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Project Manager to lead major infrastructure and construction projects within the UK Health Security Campus Programme.

The government has committed to a multi-billion-pound investment in UKHSA’s new laboratory facilities – the most significant investment the UK has made in biosecurity infrastructure in a generation. These state-of-the-art laboratories, to be built at a new site in Harlow, will replace UKHSA’s existing facilities at Porton Down and Colindale and will be critical to the UK’s public health resilience and national security for decades to come. This decision marks a pivotal moment for UKHSA and the wider government science landscape. The new facility will bring together world-class capability under one roof, enabling cuttingedge research, pandemic preparedness, and the protection of the UK from major biological threats.

The programme has a small civil service core team to deliver high value complex capital infrastructure construction programme of works. It leads, directs, manages and controls the day-to-day work. Overall, this is headed by the Programme Director, supported by Lead Project Manager, project teams, PMO and technical assurance team. The programme is supported by professional services delivery partners appointed through framework of specialist suppliers for design, technical, project management, commercial and cost management and other disciplines.

Job description

As Senior Project Manager, you will lead the day-to-day delivery of construction projects across the RIBA lifecycle. These projects are moderate to high in complexity and directly contribute to UKHSA’s strategic outcomes and long-term objectives.

You will oversee end-to-end project delivery, ensuring outputs are delivered to agreed time, cost, quality and safety standards. You will have effective leadership, interpersonal and communication skills and will play a key role in project governance, working with stakeholders to ensure the agreed project outputs are delivered to enable benefit realisation.

The post holder will also be the prime contact and leader of significant teams of outsourced professional service providers.

This role is aligned to the Project Delivery Capability Framework (PDCF) career pathway Project Manager G7 and also includes elements that align to the Government Property Function Profession - Property and Construction Manager

The main responsibilities for this role are:

• Lead the day-to-day running of the construction infrastructure project(s) within specialised microbiology labs, science labs, health care environment, with ownership and accountability for delivering agreed outcomes within time, cost, and quality constraints.
• Provide effective leadership and line management to the project team.
• Timely drafting and submission of individual project option appraisals, feasibility reports, business cases and board papers; driving design innovation.
• Develop and maintain project plans and determine appropriate delivery methodology. Setting project controls, managing performance and report progress to sponsors.
• Design the project structure, identify skills and resource requirements appropriate to the stage, effectively managing the transition between phases.
• Lead budget development, monitor spend and ensure financial control.
• Identify and monitor project risks and issues. Develop mitigating actions, escalating as appropriate. Identify and work with related projects to manage interdependencies.
• Support effective governance and decision making. Provide project reports, engaging in processes that hold you accountable for delivery.
• Engage with assurance reviews and support recommended action. Co-ordinate project assurance processes and gateway reviews.
• Set up effective change control processes, including documenting agreed changes to the project deliverables.
• Deliver the agreed business case benefits and outcomes. Monitor the longer-term delivery of benefits against the business case, ensuring an appropriate Benefits Realisation Strategy is in place.
• Identify key stakeholders, internal and external, including DHSC, HMT & Cabinet Office (NISTA) and effectively manage these relationships.
• Work with commercial teams to procure suppliers and manage supply chain performance.
• Embed wider government efficiency targets, including BIM adoption, government soft landings, early contractor engagement, and collaborative procurement approaches.
• Ensure statutory, regulatory, and government policy compliance at all stages of delivery.
• Role model commitment to personal development, promoting individual and team performance through support, guidance and coaching.
• Be an active member of the UKHSA Project Delivery Profession Community.

The job holder will be supported to work towards achieving Government Project Delivery or Government Property Profession Accreditation where they do not already hold this.

This list is not exhaustive.

Person specification

Essential criteria:

• A proven track record of delivering multiple medium-complexity construction or infrastructure projects.
• Holds or is working towards a recognised professional qualification, such as APM PMQ/ChPP, PMI PMP, and/or CIOB, RICS, ICE or equivalent construction‑related accreditation.
• Strong experience in project governance, assurance, planning, budgeting, risk, issue and change management within a construction delivery environment.
• Experience developing business cases and option appraisals, with an understanding of benefits management.
• Knowledge and experience of the RIBA Digital Plan of Work and the full project lifecycle across design, procurement, construction, and handover.
• Robust commercial and contract management experience.
• A visible leader with strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence, challenge and build relationships at senior levels.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience in management of property disciplines e.g. Sustainability, Health & Safety, Fire Safety etc.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,185, UK Health Security Agency contributes £16,276 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

Stage 1: Application & Sift

Success profiles Success Profiles - GOV.UK

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed nine essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1000 word supporting statement.

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your CV –please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 1000 words. We will not consider any words over 1000 words.

Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into three piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria
• Meets no essential criteria

If used, the pile Meets all essential criteria will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we may conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of :

• A proven track record of delivering multiple medium-complexity construction or infrastructure projects.
• Holds or is working towards a recognised professional qualification, such as APM PMQ/ChPP, PMI PMP, and/or CIOB, RICS, ICE or equivalent construction‑related accreditation.

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/large amount of successful candidates.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

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You will be invited to a single remote interview.

Behaviours and Technical Skills will be tested at interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be :

• Leadership (Lead)
• Communication and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

There will be a Presentation.

Candidates will be asked to prepare a 5-7 minute presentation relating to Project Leadership.

More details about about the presentation will be shared with candidates securing an interview.

Interview dates to be confirmed.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

For roles where specific qualifications or registrations are required, successful applicants will be asked to provide appropriate evidence. Employment cannot commence until satisfactory documentation has been received and verified.

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's core HQs (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).

Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport links and benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a basic disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Check.

For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 5 years as the role requires Security Check (SC) clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

Eligibility

External: Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants).

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.
You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: Reasonable Adjustments , Civil Service Careers

International Police check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

Internal Fraud Check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub, and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for external candidates to the Civil Service.

Careers website

Please visit our careers site for more information UKHSA Hub , Civil Service Careers

Salary Information

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.

Civil Service Grade 7

£56,185 - £66,581 (National)

£58,340 - £68,574 (Outer London)

£60,494 - £70,566 (Inner London)

Salary is dependant upon location.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Nigel Poole
• Email : Nigel.Poole@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should
contact the UKHSA Complaints team via email at: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk